It is an unwritten rule that first impressions do matter (both online and offline). There are two important factors to take into consideration when it comes to first impressions online:

1. Since the rise of technology, the human attention span has decreased from 12 to 8 seconds (due to information overload and filtering).
2. Plenty of websites are fighting for the attention of the user.

What does this mean for your firm?

Branding is a must. Think of branding as your firm’s driver towards success, power, and reputation. While your clients are in the passenger seat; branding drives the user towards a positive or a negative experience.

Tips to Manage Your Law firm’s Internal Reputation

Before diving into what your firm can do for clients, it’s important to first look within your firm.

As we previously mentioned, first impressions matter (a lot). And within the online world, users are generating their perception of your firm in less than a second. Scientifically, it takes a user 50 milliseconds to form an opinion of your website. A powerful factor to enhance your firm’s brand reputation is through a strong and clear website layout that is also mobile-friendly.

According to website statistics, around 80% of users will stop engaging with your site if it’s not mobile-friendly. Almost identically, 75% of the users judge credibility based on layout and design. (So yes, users do judge a book by its cover).

Here are some best practices for you to consider:

1. Provide a desktop and mobile-friendly user experience.
2. Add strong and clear visuals.
3. Remove unnecessary information.
4. Have a quick loading time which you can check here.

A complementary addition to websites is blog posts and social media. Most users begin their legal research with Google. And since Google can include verified social profiles; social posts should also be taken into consideration.

All of your branding items should go hand-in-hand with clear language. Remember your users likely do not understand legal jargon. Improving your law firm’s written clarity is a must.

Tips to Manage Your Law firm’s External Reputation

Your firm can also take advantage of many external add-ons. On one hand, using third parties like Google is a helpful link between your users and you. You can claim your law firm using Google My Business. There are plenty of do’s and don’ts behind Google My Business but one very important factor your firm shouldn’t overlook is reviews.

Reviews are so powerful that 93% of customers look at reviews before deciding on a service/product.

Specifically, 70% of users would go out of their way to work with a less conveniently located law firm if they have better reviews.

So, how can you improve reviews?

1. Adding a personalized response to each one.
2. Respond promptly (within a day if possible).
3. Answering all reviews (positive and negative).
4. Providing further outside assistance to negative reviews.
5. Reaching out to satisfied clients.

Besides reviews, social proof is a powerful marketing and psychological factor impacting reputation. As humans, we are wired to follow what others do. Therefore, providing legal community feedback is important. This includes:

• User testimonials
• Client case studies
• Ambassadors

Powerful Benefits of Branding Your Law Firm

Branding is a powerful driver to your firm’s success. A good first impression has many benefits.

Your firm’s robust digital perception can bring you:

• Qualified leads
• A satisfied client and thus more trust and retention
• Recognition
• Conversions within the online sales funnel.

And most importantly…branding brings you support for your overall marketing goals.

A good branding plan for your firm includes more than just a pretty logo and slogan. Your firm’s successful branding should include an all-inclusive marketing plan of action. Besides a plan of action, consistency is also important. Google states that consistency is an important factor for your brand’s overall authenticity and verification process.

A Robust Plan Towards A Positive Reputation

Having a vision and a mission for your firm is important. But what’s even more important is the actual plan of action.

Through the plan of action, you might come across questions such as, “Is my firm’s website user-friendly on all devices?”, “How can my law firm deal with negative reviews?” Or “How do we measure our firm’s online and offline success?” The answers vary amongst firms. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Got any happy clients? Congratulations, they might be your best salespeople! Discover some unique ways to boost reviews for law firms. 

You’re offering the best legal services, your clients are satisfied, your team is motivated, you’re going the extra mile, closing more cases, and overall you are…winning! So, how can you ensure clients and prospects walking through your door know all of this? Through reviews!

While it’s incredibly important your business strives for excellent customer service, it’s also critical you cover the last steps within a customer relationship cycle, and that includes asking for reviews. Research shows that reviews are more powerful than you might have thought. Take a look:

Why Do Law Firm Reviews Matter?

Reviews are essential to your firm for several reasons like:

• Driving calls and cases.
• Improving your visibility.
• Building on your trustworthiness.
• Allowing the user to voice their opinions.

They can indicate that your firm is offering quality service, and most importantly, online reviews can give extra reassurance to prospects that are on the verge of choosing between your firm and another.

In the past, when you had a happy client leave your office, you could expect that they’re probably going to tell a family member or a friend, but that’s the extent of it. It’s fairly limited, typically a one-to-one ratio. With an online review, you can expect a 1 to 100 plus ratio, and that’s because when they leave this review, over the course of a week, three weeks, a year, or three years down the road, hundreds, if not thousands, of prospective clients, are going to come across that review and consider your law firm.

And beyond what meets the eye, reviews for law firms impact attorney SEO more than you might think!

Let’s dive into that section.

The Correlation Between Local SEO Strategy and Reviews

In short, Google actually uses reviews as part of its ranking algorithm.

According to Google, the review system is designed to recognize and reward top-notch reviews effectively. These are the content that offers in-depth analysis, original research and are penned by individuals with expertise or a deep passion for the subject matter.

And just last April, Google made another update regarding reviews…

The Latest Reviews Update: Focus on Experience

Google’s latest Reviews guidelines emphasize the Double-E-EA-T principle, a content quality framework introduced by Google in December 2022.

Double-E-EA-T represents an enhanced standard of content quality, taking a step beyond the E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) criteria.

According to Google’s recent December update, trustworthiness is the most important element for businesses aiming to score high on the EEAT scale: 

The additional ‘E’ in E-A-T represents ‘Experience.’ This suggests that Google’s Review System prioritizes evidence of hands-on experience.

There have been reports suggesting that adding terms like “based on my experience” or “from my direct analysis” in reviews has boosted the ranking of product review pages on the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

Learn How to Make Your Law Firm EEAT-Ready Here

Why should your Law firm prioritize EEAT? 

Adhering to EEAT principles in your website content ensures it reaches the intended audience effectively.

Google equips its evaluators with frameworks like the Search Quality Rater Guidelines that detail the standards for assessing websites according to EEAT principles. Though human evaluators undertake these EEAT evaluations, their insights and judgments play a significant role in shaping Google’s search algorithms. 

In essence, how well your content aligns with EEAT can significantly influence your firm’s position in search engine results.

How to Respond to Negative Law Firm Reviews

Before diving into the fun part, let’s quickly touch on a real-life scenario: bad reviews (ouch!) They can happen, but if and when they do, you’ll want to ensure you know how to respond to a bad online review.

In the LAWsome podcast by Consultwebs, the guest Chez Tschetter Chief Technology Officer at Solarity provides tips to all legal professionals on how to manage negative reviews; take a look:

Improving Your Intake Process While Tracking Leads Lola v. Skadden and the Automation of the Legal Profession (This is an epic take on legal disruption!) Key Takeaways: 0:18 Introduction 1:30 Why law firms need to secure the entire sales funnel 3:00 The legal intake process 4:08 How does automation eases the heavy legal workload 6:32 How legal tech can propel reviews 9:58 How firms can handle negative reviews 12:00 What is helping law firms evolve and innovate? 13:25 Trends and predictions in legal technology 1 15:15 Trends and predictions in legal technology 2 16:13 Ending thoughts Best way to contact Chez Tschetter: chez@clientping.com Discover More About the Podcast and Consultwebs: Subscribe to the LAWsome Podcast by Consultwebs on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify Visit the LAWsome website Follow Consultwebs on social for legal marketing updates: Facebook Instagram Twitter Linkedin YouTube Learn more about Consultwebs at the links below. Law Firm Marketing Agency Services Law Firm SEO Law Firm Web Design Law Firm PPC Law Firm Social Media Law Firm Email Marketing Law Firm Digital Marketing Consultwebs 8601 Six Forks Rd #400, Raleigh, NC 27615 (800) 872-6590 https://www.consultwebs.com https://www.google.com/maps?cid=13646648339910389351" />

Managing bad reviews is a must for any law firm reputation management strategy. If you’d like to take a deeper dive into how to respond to negative online reviews – we’ve got you.

Learn How to Respond to Negative Reviews Here

The Most Unique Ways Your Firm Can Acquire Positive Reviews

While, yes, bad reviews can happen; however, there is a way you can boost those glowing 5-star reviews.

Here are some of the best tactics:

Identifying the Perfect Timing When Asking for Law Firm Reviews

It’s essential to catch the right wave when you’re considering asking for a review. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all moment, there are key times that can be ideal for garnering feedback.

Let’s explore some of these optimal moments:

• After a Victory: Once you’ve guided your client to success in a case.
• Moments of Satisfaction: Whenever a client shares their happiness with your firm’s services.
• Website Engagement: If you notice a client spending considerable time exploring your website and services.
• Word of Mouth: When a client goes the extra mile to refer others to your firm.
• Returning Clientele: If a client trusts you enough to return with another case.

Remember, genuine feedback often emerges from genuine moments. So make each interaction count.

Meeting With Clients Online? Use Those Last Minutes Wisely!

Engaging with clients via video calls?

Take advantage of the last minutes of the call.

Being observant is key; their demeanor and responses will offer insights into whether it’s the ideal time to broach the subject of feedback. If everything feels right, don’t hesitate to ask!

Always prioritize transparency. If you’re considering recording the conversation, be upfront about it. It’s essential to get the client’s consent and be clear about the purpose and potential uses of the recording.

Moreover, whenever you’re collecting feedback, it’s vital to respect their privacy. Whether you’re discussing specifics like their name or backstory, always ensure it aligns with their comfort and preferences. Initiating a feedback conversation might require some finesse.

Here are a few conversation starters to consider:

Mastering the Art of Asking for Reviews

Knowing when and how to ask clients for reviews is a skill that can greatly benefit your firm’s reputation. Here’s a strategy to make the process smooth and non-intrusive:

• Perfect Timing: Consider requesting a review 3 to 5 days after wrapping up their case. This allows a breathing space, ensuring you don’t come off too eager, yet the experience remains fresh in their minds.
• The Personal Touch: If you’re meeting your client face-to-face, especially when bearing positive news about their case, it’s an ideal moment to ask for a review. There’s something about direct conversations that can be far more compelling.
• Addressing Privacy Concerns: Understandably, clients may be hesitant to discuss private legal matters in public. Offer a solution: provide them with a writing prompt containing general questions. This ensures their case details remain confidential while still getting valuable feedback.

A gentle nudge coupled with genuine care for their concerns can go a long way in securing positive law firm reviews.

Dive deeper into crafting the right prompts in the next section!

Leveraging Shortcodes in Text Messages

Thinking of spicing up your feedback request game?

Shortcodes could be your secret weapon!

When trying to incentivize reviews, shortcodes can create a seamless, interactive experience for the client. Imagine a client receiving a text from you. They reply with a specific keyword, and voilà, they’re directed towards an action – like penning a review for your firm.

Now, if you’re wondering how to do it? GatherUp is a review management platform that facilitates valuable 2-minute conversations with customers post-experience, transforming their feedback into actionable data for business improvement and reputation enhancement.

Some benefits of GatherUp:

• Reputation Enhancement: By collecting powerful reviews from happy customers, GatherUp aids in boosting your firm’s reputation, making it more credible and trustworthy in the eyes of potential clients.
• Data-Driven Business Growth: The insights derived from the customer feedback cycle helps your firm identify areas of improvement, ultimately fueling business-driven decisions.

While GatherUp offers a robust platform for managing client feedback, having it expertly managed by the seasoned team at Consultwebs ensures law firms get the most out of every review, streamlining their digital reputation in a professional and efficient manner.

Send a Post-Purchase Targeted Email

Email can also be powerful for law firm reviews. Keep an email concise with 1 call-to-action prompting the user to one of your review sites.

And great news for the firms running their email marketing services with Consultwebs – we can work out a personalized campaign centered around reviews!

Slide in a Review Request with Your Email Signature

Believe it or not, you don’t need a fancy email campaign to request reviews. Sometimes, the simplest approaches are the most effective.

Here’s a neat trick; create a signature strategy. Simply incorporate a link to your review page right under your email signature.

Skeptical? Reflect on this: You’re dispatching hundreds of emails weekly. That’s hundreds of potential reviews just waiting to be tapped into!

Embrace the Power of Video Reviews

While written testimonials hold weight, videos for law firms are the gold standard in the modern age.

Videos of all kinds, especially testimonials, are your firm’s ticket to better leads, and that is because almost the entire Internet population is consuming videos. They provide a stronger emotional connection and ultimately create stronger associations in your prospects’ minds.

Discover the ​​5 Video Formats Your Law Firm Should be Using

Most importantly, videos managed by experts are best. Law firms opting for video services with Consultwebs see growth in their website traffic – and there is proof that backs this up.

Check this sample out:

Your Client Is The Powerhouse Behind Your Sales!

In the business landscape, exceptional customer service is a treasured hallmark. Nowadays, it might just be the edge setting you apart from competitors.

Remember, the most compelling advocate for your services isn’t a marketing pitch – it’s a satisfied client!

As your reach expands, your law firm scales and more cases find successful closures. Ensure you cherish and nurture the concluding phases of your client relationships. Because therein lies the golden opportunity for valuable law firm reviews.

Got more legal questions?

Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Regular Insights

The post Reputation Management Guide for Law Firms appeared first on Consultwebs.

In today’s digital realm, your reviews are judges, juries, and executioners of your law firm’s reputation. But why do reviews matter so much? Let’s take a look at some facts: 

In an era when opinions are shared at the click of a button, managing your law firm’s digital reputation has become as crucial as winning your cases. However, you may be surprised to find out that the same study shows that 75% of businesses do not respond to negative reviews!

Whether they are glowing commendations or damning criticisms, online reviews require a response that is as thoughtful and strategic as the legal advice you give your clients. To help you better prepare, we have crafted this detailed piece that will guide you on the best ways to respond to positive and negative reviews and use the insights to improve your customer service and brand quality.

Why Respond to Reviews?

Does every comment count? In conclusion, yes. Just think back to this thought: ever wondered why the first thing many of us do before trying a new restaurant or booking a hotel is to dive into the rabbit hole of online reviews? It all boils down to trust.

Strangers aren’t necessarily strangers online. Your potential clients are combing through reviews about your law firm, trying to find a reason to entrust you with their case. Not responding to these reviews would be the equivalent of a lawyer staying silent in court when their client’s reputation is on the line.

Thus, taking your time to respond to these remarks shows your customers that you’re concerned. This is something anyone will appreciate and will make your law firm stand out from the rest who don’t look at their customers’ sentiments, especially the negative ones.

Ultimately, reviews go beyond what you might think. Some other benefits of online reviews and responsiveness include:

• Increase trust and transparency – Responding to reviews fosters trust and showcases your law firm’s commitment to transparency. It shows you aren’t afraid to address the highs and lows of your client experience publicly.
• Signal top-notch customer service – A well-crafted response to a negative review can not only potentially win back a disgruntled client but also show other clients that your firm takes their concerns seriously. On the other hand, a grateful reply to a positive review can inspire client loyalty.
• Control reputation management – In the legal world, your reputation precedes you. Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, allows you to manage and influence the narrative surrounding your law firm.
• Boost rankings – When it comes to law firm SEO, reviews matter. Search engines like Google take note of businesses that frequently interact with their reviews, which can boost your visibility in search results.
• Garner insights and encourage improvement – Reviews can provide valuable feedback, helping you identify areas of improvement. Addressing these critiques not only demonstrates your commitment to growth but also signals to prospective clients that their experience will be better.

Dealing with a Negative Customer Feedback

Negative comments can cripple your practice, especially if you have just a few reviews. It’s even worse if you let them go without a viable response. You can’t afford to let the wounds fester!

Remember that the reply isn’t just for the specific viewer; you’ll be speaking to a whole lot of potential clients. Ultimately, the right response to an online review is not just a reply—it’s a potent statement about your firm’s values, service, and commitment to client satisfaction.

The best reaction, in this case, should be a quick and strategic one. Here are the primary steps that you should follow.

• Stay calm – Reading through a negative review isn’t simple, and it may feel unfair. The author may use a personal, harsh, or condescending tone, which can attract an emotional response. The best step would be to take a moment before responding.
• Acknowledge the issue – A negative review communicates a customer’s bad experience, even though the customer might be the problem. Begin by apologizing for the experience, even if it isn’t your firm’s fault. If you’re in the wrong, admit to the fault, then suggest practical solutions to the problem.
• Express empathy: Make sure to empathize with their dissatisfaction. Using a compassionate tone can help diffuse frustration and show you care about their experience.
• Offer apologies: Whether you agree with the feedback or not, an apology can go a long way. This isn’t admitting fault but rather showing respect for their perspective.
• Short responses work – Avoid lengthy responses and keep them short and sweet. Even if the reviewer insults you, never get personal with your reply. Stay calm, polite, and professional until you find the solution.
• Avoid lengthy discussions – This is incredibly important. No one wants to go through long discussions between a dissatisfied client and your law firm. We cannot stress this enough, the interaction should be solution-focused, aiming to fix the issue as soon as possible. Propose a tangible solution to their problem or explain how you’ll prevent such an issue in the future. This reinforces that you’re committed to continuous improvement.
• Take it offline – If a customer shares their bad experience that you can solve, try reaching out to them outside via phone call or email. You can respond by notifying them that you’ve reached out to them personally, this can prevent airing sensitive details publicly and helps you address their concerns more personally and thoroughly.

Remember, the goal is not just to placate a dissatisfied client but also to demonstrate to other prospective clients that you handle criticism with dedicated professionalism.

Click here to understand how you can masterfully respond to bad reviews.

Dealing with a Positive Client Review

Nothing gets any better than a customer’s glowing 5-star review, right? Actually, it gets even better if you leave a response to the positive remark! Responding to a positive review is polite and can help you boost your customer relationships and brand identity.

Remember, everyone will view the sentiments, so positive conversations about your practice can do wonders for your practice. Here are the best practices for handling a positive client review:

• Express gratitude – A ‘thank you’ goes a long way. It’s polite to thank the customer for their positive review and appreciate something specific that they mentioned. This way, they’ll know that a real person has responded, and they might be willing to continue engaging with your agency.
• Recognize specifics – The details truly do matter. By acknowledging specific pointers from their review —be it the lawyer’s meticulousness, the team’s exceptional communication, or the satisfying outcome of their case—ensure your response mirrors their attention to detail.
• Optimize your response – Besides tailoring your message, be sure to include your legal practice’s name, location, category, and any relevant keywords. This will optimize the positive review for SEO.
• Encourage a broader share – It’s essential to prompt a particular action in your response the client’s experience was particularly positive, suggest they share their experience on other review platforms and share the link to that next step.
• Strengthen your connection: Engage further with the client by encouraging them to keep in touch. This can be through a law firm email marketing strategy e.g., asking them to join your firm’s newsletter,  inviting them to connect on social media, etc.

Pro-tip – Learn from Praise! While it’s easy to focus on the negative feedback for areas of improvement, don’t forget to understand what you did right and feel proud of your accomplishments. Learn from the positive feedback and keep refining those areas, too.

Mastering Your Verdict on Client Reviews

Your firm can definitely turn the tables (for good) and make every review – good or bad – an opportunity for growth.

At Consultwebs, a digital marketing agency for law firms, we believe just that. We view every challenge as a gateway to new opportunities and every setback as a stepping stone for growth. We empower law firms like yours to navigate the complex digital landscape with confidence. If you’ve been looking to: 

• Lead to grow
• Embrace success
• Ignite your firm’s full potential
• Chart your course with free tips, strategies, and expert insights.
• Gain a better understanding of marketing, management & more.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest trends, tips, and strategies in law firm marketing delivered right to your inbox.

The post Negative Customer Review appeared first on Consultwebs.

Facebook gives users two options for describing their experience with a local business. A “rating” is a simple one-to-five star rating. A “review” contains a star rating as well as a written statement.

Positive reviews left by former clients can encourage new clients. Facebook displays your Ratings (on a 5-star scale) near the top of your business page. The closer your score is to 5, the more reputable and trustworthy your business appears.

Of course, being an open platform, not all reviews will be positive, regardless of your businesses performance. This brings up the question, “What do I do about negative reviews?”

What About Negative Reviews?

First and foremost, don’t panic. A negative review or rating, no matter how scathing, will not likely be the end of your business.

When it comes to handling negative reviews and ratings on your Facebook business page, you have a few options.

As with most review features, individual reviews cannot be deleted. However, you can click “I don’t like this review” from a drop down menu in the upper right corner of the review post. If the review appears to be spam or without merit, Facebook may remove it. Unfortunately, if the person only leaves a rating without a written review, you do not have these options.

If Facebook does not remove the review, you have the option of hiding all reviews on the page. This can be done by going into your Page Info section of your page settings. Next click on Address, then uncheck the box labeled “Show map, check-ins and star ratings on the Page.”

As you would expect this also hides the map that displays your office location, number of people that have checked-in at your office and star rating from everyone who visits your page. This method is not usually recommended as it also hides a number of positive aspects of your business page and prevents users from leaving new reviews, even positive ones.

You can reach out to the reviewers by commenting on their review post. If it is possible to address their review in a friendly manner, they may remove their review or even change it to a positive review.

Disabling reviews on a page is now found in the settings menu. On a desktop, navigate to your business page and click “Settings” in the top right. In the “General” section, click on “Reviews” and then click “Disable.” Next, click “Save Changes.” Visitors will no longer be able to review your page and existing reviews will be hidden. You can enable reviews again at any time, which will result in previous reviews again being visible. Reviews play an important role in Facebook’s Professional Services feature, making it more important to seek positive reviews for your business page.

Focusing on the Positive

Another effective way to deal with negative reviews is to actively seek out more positive reviews (you are already doing this anyway, right?). Positive reviews decrease the weight of negative reviews. Having a few 1 star ratings doesn’t lock your page out of having a high rating overall.

It is also worth noting that on your page, Facebook only innately displays the “most helpful” reviews. These are the reviews with the most interaction. If your 5-star reviews have the most interactions, Facebook will display those ahead of the negative reviews.

In short, all business pages will likely receive a negative review at some point, often regardless of your businesses performance. Knowing how to handle a negative review can make all the difference.

We invite you to download our client reviews bundle that will help you focus on getting reviews from your clients.

The post How To Handle Negative Facebook Reviews appeared first on Consultwebs.